Speas Growing Centrally

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – When Ben Speas was making it hard for Robert Warzycha to take
him out of the Crew’s lineup last season, it was on the left side of the midfield. Now as the
homegrown player looks to carve out a role under new Crew coach and sporting director Gregg
Berhalter, it will come from a more central location.

Speas has been playing as a central attacking midfielder this preseason as part of the 4-2-3-1
Berhalter has been deploying.

“I like it a lot,” Speas said. “Either one (inside or outside) is OK with me. I like to be on
the outside and go one-on-one but I also like to be in the middle and combine more. It’s good. I’m
just getting used to the position and trying to find those little spaces in there to receive the
ball and turn. It’s good.”

Last season, Speas did not see action in the season opener but started the next six straight
games and scored his first career goal in a 2-1 win against D.C. United on March 23 – his third
start of the season and fourth of his career. It was enough to keep him in the lineup for a few
games even when forward Jairo Arrieta returned from duty with Costa Rica’s national team. However,
he was in and out of the starting lineup for the rest of the year, finishing with 19 appearances
including 10 starts in his second season with the Crew.

During the offseason, the Crew acquired a pair of wingers in Daniel Paladini and Hector Jimenez,
plus the 4-2-3-1 formation has meant returning leading scorer Dominic Oduro is playing on the right
side of the midfield. As a result, Speas finds himself backing up Federico Higuain – the team’s
designated player – in the middle of the attacking end of the midfield.

“You can just watch him,” Speas said of Higuain. “All his little movements, there’s a reason for
them. It’s perfect to have a guy like that to learn from. I don’t even really need to ask him – you
can kind of tell and use him as an example. I watch him all the time just to see what he’s doing
and where he’s going. He’s a great person to learn from.”

Berhalter said he likes Speas’ potential at the spot.

“He has a great ability to get into good positions,” Berhalter said. “He reads the game well
offensively and I think that’s a position where you have to take advantage of that skill set. (He’s
improving in) consistency, strength, strength in tackles, end product, but he’s a guy who is doing
great.”

Speas said he is fine playing either position.

“That’s where they’re playing me (now),” he said. “I like it. I like to be in the middle there.
I like to turn. If it happens to where I’m back on the outside, I’m fine with it. I like it. I
think I feel comfortable there.”